Providence, RI – The House of Representatives is poised to make history by voting on the Reproductive Privacy Act (H 5125A) on the House Floor today. This a monumental moment in Rhode Island. The last time a vote on a bill to codify Roe v. Wade happened in Rhode Island was 1993 when it passed out of the House of Representatives, but did not pass the Senate.

The Coalition thanks Chairwoman Williams and the cosponsors of the Reproductive Privacy Act for listening to the concerns of our members and finding common ground. The sponsors worked with the Coalition and others who expressed concerns to develop a common-sense proposal that simply protects the current legal parameters under Roe, subsequent Supreme Court cases, and existing state and federal law. We also thank House leadership for bringing this legislation to the floor for a robust debate.

We understand potential amendments may be submitted by members of the House to substantially change the bill. Most, if not all, will reflect the views of opponents of safe, legal abortion, and if enacted would be injurious to the well-being of Rhode Island residents.The Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom wants to make it very clear that these potential amendments are unacceptable. We ask our allies to oppose all amendments, or any dividing out, that would alter this carefully crafted legislation, especially as these amendments will come from opponents of codifying Roe v. Wade and its progeny.

The Reproductive Privacy Act has public support and the time to codify Roe v. Wade is now. As we head into this historic vote, The Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom wants to make clear that we support this bill as it was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee. We will not seek and will not support further amendments, or subtractions.